


Human Mating Behavior

by R_S_B



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 06:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11892174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_S_B/pseuds/R_S_B
Summary: Time travel always has unexpected consequences. Even Seven knows that. But no one could have expected this.





	Human Mating Behavior

It seemed entirely reasonable to Seven that traveling through time might have repercussions, even some unexpected ones. She’d been with Captain Janeway and _Voyager_ long enough to know that some things could not be completely accounted for, especially when it came to time travel. But the most unexpected consequence of jumping through _Voyager’s_ history, with the help of the timeship _Relativity_ , was the realization that Lieutenant Joseph Carey was interested in her as a potential romantic partner.

She’d found it quite unexpected when he had inquired into her interest in meeting for the purpose of a romantic rendezvous while they were in dry dock (years ago for him, but only a few weeks ago in Seven’s perception). And after she'd returned, she had begun to notice the way his eyes occasionally lingered on her. It wasn't all the time, and never for long. She began to wonder if it had always been the case, and she had simply never noticed it.

If so, it was a deeply troubling oversight. She vowed to be much more vigilant in the future in regards to investigating and interpreting the behavior of the crew. But regardless, it was clear, now that she possessed sufficient data, that Lieutenant Carey was attracted to her.

Perhaps it should not have been so unexpected. There was no shortage of men and women on _Voyager_ that found her aesthetically pleasing, that stared a little too long when she passed by. But with Lieutenant Carey, it was more than a physical appreciation and accompanying physiological response. He smiled when she was speaking and he laughed at her attempts at humor, just a soft chuff under his breath.

As a result of this recent realization, she felt no small amount of apprehension regarding her present assignment.

“Lieutenant Carey, the Captain requested I report to Engineering. She thought I might be able to help with the overhaul of the plasma manifolds.”

Carey looked up from his console and smiled at her. “Great. We could always use the help.”

Seven nodded calmly, trying to judge the smile he was giving her. Was it a polite and professional smile or was it an indication of his feelings? Was he excited to see her or just glad to have help? Would he smile like that at someone else who had arrived to aid him in his assignments? Seven was appraising the unnecessarily complex patterns of human mating behavior (and in her assessment, it wasn’t looking good), when the lieutenant spoke again, pulling Seven back into the moment.

“Seven, are you okay? You seem a little distracted. It really isn’t like you.”

He looked at her in concern, and she felt a flush creeping into her cheeks. Seven cursed her human physiology. “I am functioning within an acceptable range. Perhaps we should get to work.”

The first hour progressed without incident. She worked in the Jeffries tube, replacing the phase compensators, while Lieutenant Carey worked from a console, nearby, but out of sight. Then he asked her to look at his console.

“I will be there presently,” she replied, closing the conduit and scooting out of the tube, her mind already spinning as she tried to decipher human behavior. Did he actually need her help, or was it merely a pretext to be with her? It was clear from watching Lieutenants Paris and Torres how perplexing humanoid mating could be. Two days ago, she had overheard Lieutenant Torres admonishing Lieutenant Paris for his behavior and inviting him to her quarters to “teach him a lesson.” But what she’d heard on deck nine that evening did not sound like any teaching style that Seven was aware of.

Seven approached hesitantly. She was about to inquire as to his reason for requesting her presence, when he looked up and smiled at her. “Seven, can you look at these readings? Something seems off about them, but I can’t figure out what it is. I thought you might have some ideas.”

She nodded. He wanted her professional opinion on an engineering question. Which was an excellent choice on his part, as she was highly proficient at all aspects of warp theory and engineering maintenance, more so than any other _Voyager_ crewmember (these of course represented only a small portion of her knowledge and skills, but they were certainly the ones most relevant at the moment). He really was quite intelligent for a human who had never been assimilated by the Borg. His smile turned quizzical and she realized she was still staring at him. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away hurriedly. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on the screen in front of her and not on Carey’s presence next to her.

To Seven’s great relief, he turned back towards the console, seemingly choosing not to read anything into the way she’d stared at him. The data seemed normal and well within the specifications laid out in the Starfleet guidelines, and she was about to question the lieutenant further as to what had had seemed “off” about them - humans, always being imprecise - when he began to speak.

“So, I was actually wondering… you know, I just thought I’d ask and see if, you know, you wanted to maybe get dinner sometime. Together.”

Her heart began to pound against her chest and the flush returned to her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Carey wasn’t looking at her, still fidgeting with the console in front of him. When she didn’t respond, he began to fill the silence. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, you can say no-- “ Then he laughed, that soft chuff again, and looked up at her in admiration. “Never mind, I don’t need to tell you how to take care of yourself. I don’t think I can imagine you being in any situation you didn’t want to be in.”

Seven hesitated. “You would be surprised. I have to admit, I have found human social mores more complicated than I would have expected. It is… often difficult to know what an appropriate response is.”

Carey nodded. “I can understand that. You’ve learned a lot since you’ve been here.”

Seven nodded, sensing an opportunity. “Perhaps you can provide some clarity. How would you go about turning down such an invitation?”

The disappointment on his face was unmistakeable, but he gave her a small smile nonetheless. “Well, there are a few options, depending on the situation and how much information you want to share.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Proceed.”

“So, maybe you _are_ interested, but you just aren’t available at the suggested time. You could decline, explain the conflict, and suggest a new time. Or just leave it open ended. ‘I can’t that night, but we should try to get together soon.’ Something like that.” She nodded and he continued. “Or maybe you _aren’t_ interested. You can just be forthright. ‘I’m sorry, thank you for the invitation, but I’m not interested.’ But some people have trouble saying no. So you can use an excuse. You are busy, something like that.”

Seven frowned. “But then how does one tell the difference between someone who is actually interested and merely busy, and someone who is not interested?”

Carey laughed and shrugged. “Well, sometimes you don’t. That’s just how it goes. And there are other options. You might turn someone down because you aren’t interested in a relationship. It could be ‘sorry, I’m not interested in dating,‘ or ‘sorry, I’m not interested, I’m already in a relationship’.” Or maybe they aren’t your type. ‘Sorry, I prefer women.’ Something like that.”

“I do not currently have an expressed preference for male or female mem--”

“I wasn’t asking! I’m just saying, in general. Those are possible answers someone might give.”

Seven nodding, trying to absorb all the information he was providing her with. She was silent for a long moment, and when she felt like she had processed all of the new information, she looked back up at him. “And how would you go about accepting such an invitation?”

Carey’s head snapped up and he looked at her hesitantly. “Well… that’s much easier. You would just tell them ‘yes.’ But it’s always nice to express your enthusiasm for it.” He gestured vaguely. “Something like ‘That sounds great, I’d love to,’ then maybe suggest a time to meet.”

Seven nodded. “As to your previous query, I would like to inform you that… that does sound 'great.' and I would… love to dine with you. Perhaps… after our shift.”

“To--tonight?” He flushed and Seven found that it produced a very odd and confusing sensation in her abdomen.

“If that is not acceptable--”

“No, no! That’s great,” he insisted quickly.

She gave a quick nod. “We could meet in the Mess Hall at nineteen hundred hours. I believe your work will be completed by then, Lieutenant?”

He nodded and broke into a smile, eyes lighting up. “Yes. I… that sounds wonderful. I look forward to it. And… and you can call me ‘Joe’.”

Seven found herself smiling, and for a moment, she felt her old Borg instincts kicking in, telling her to take control and cease in her display of human emotion. But then she felt her humanity reasserting itself. _Smiling is acceptable and situationally appropriate_. She nodded. “Of course. Joe. Then it is agreed.”

Joe’s smile broadened and she felt the strange sensation in her abdomen return. _Yes. Yes, this is quite acceptable._

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @vyrenrolar, for Round 13 of the Trek Rarepair Swap, who requested Seven and Joe Carey or Ben Sisko and Kasidy Yates. I went with Joe and Seven because I though he seemed like a nice chill guy who could give Seven the space she needs to figure things out for herself, unlike of most of the dating advice she gets on the show, which is very much 'this is how it's done and you are wrong for not fitting these heteronormative expectations.' They seem like they could be really sweet together.


End file.
